On the Creative Use of Gothic Elements inThe Ballad of the Sad Café

Abstract： Gothic technique plays a very important part in English and American literature. Here， we will introduce the important woman gothic writer Carson McCullers and her famous work-The Ballad of the Sad Café， in this treatise， we have a deep analysis on the creative construction of gothic style in different respects. The creative use of gothic techniques made the novel different from other gothic novels.

Key words： gothic， spiritual isolation， gothic metaphors， Carson McCullers

1.0 Carson McCullers and The Ballad of the Sad Café

Carson McCullers， as one of the most important writers in America， tried to explore the inner part of human persistently in her famous work--The Ballad of the Sad Café. In order to expose the loneliness and the futility of love of the people， she used large numbers of gothic techniques， as description of somber and horrible scenes and other creative use of gothic elements.

2.0 Creative Use of Gothic Elements in The Ballad of the Sad Café

In the history of literature， gothic style is charming like a jade that had been polished by the skillful craftsman. As long as the desire to search for novelties exists， writings of gothic style will show itself an unpredictable bright future（Zhang，2008）. The reason for The Ballad of the Sad Cafés becoming as an immortal work in the history of literature is not its grotesque and mysterious horror which can give people sensual stimulus， but its use as a weapon that helps to wake the sleepy ideas.

2.1 Spiritual Isolation in The Ballad of the Sad Café

Carson McCullers improved gothic writings by exploring the spiritual situation of people in the modern society（Sun，2009）. Spiritual Isolation， as a particular gothic subject， attests to Carson McCullers deep sympathy for the weak groups. In Carson McCullers works， people were totally spiritually isolated because of the lack of communication among people. After the world war， the traditional agricultural economy was replaced by the modern industry， and the development of material culture and the ideological conflicts between people of northern and southern part of America made people feel empty spiritually. Various conflicts， such as racial segregation， sexual discrimination， the polarization of the rich and poor， destroyed our desire for the modern culture.

2.2 Use of Gothic Metaphors

In the novels written by Carson McCullers， we can feel a sense of guilty of the Southerners， they cannot just stop searching for something ever possessed but finally lost. So， apparently， the isolation and segregation are inveterate for them. Therefore the small town in The Ballad of the Sad Café is a symbol of spiritual waste land of the southern part of America.

In the novel， the café is the most crucial subject of metaphor. People in the town regarded the café as a rendezvous of happiness， and they desired to get some transient happiness there. Unfortunately， this café finally became the battlefield for Miss Amelia and Marvin. Even the piano standing for happiness was smashed. Miss Amelia opened and closed the café just for love. This also indicates that people in the world are desirous of love， while all the efforts made for love is inundated by loneliness.

The love story of the three people fell into a queer cycle， Miss Amelia loves Lymon so much， but Lymon betrayed her for Marvin， the handsome villain—Marvin， miraculously fell in love with Miss Amelia， who was really clumsy and boorish. The spiritual isolation confined people into total loneliness. We can hear the death bell ring in the air， also the sad song from the café of the southern town is sad but beautiful.

At the end of the novel， the author added a scene that has no relationship with the main characters. She depicted twelve prisoners， who were chained at the ankles， working hard while singing： The music will swell until at last it seems that the sound doesnt come from the twelve men on the gang， but from the earth itself， or the wide sky（McCullers，2011）. Or perhaps， the twelve prisoners symbolize the twelve disciples. This means that the author tries to save the southern American society in her mind by the means of religion.

3.0 Conclusion

For Carson McCullers ， the use of gothic techniques is only a means of creation. She inherited the traditional gothic techniques， at the same time， she created gothic writings by combing the gothic elements with social reality. She exposed the cruelties of social reality， explored into the spiritual situation of the people deeply. Her works aim at arousing the attention and sympathy for the comparatively weak groups. By the study on the creative use of gothic techniques in The Ballad of the Sad Café， we know McCullers profound attention on the spiritual state of people and social problems. Her final aim was to break the spiritual isolation among people， and establish better communication again.

REFERENCES

[1] Adams， Rachel. A Mixture Of Delicious And Freak：The Queer Fiction of Carson McCullers. American Literature. 71.3（1999）：551-583.

[2] McCullers， Carson. The Ballad Of The Sad Cafe[M].New York ：Houghton Miffin Harcourt，2011

[3] McDowell M B. Carson McCullers. [M]. New York： Twayne， 1980

[4]張莉莉.論傷心咖啡館之歌的哥特式風格[A].宜賓學院學報，2008.

[5]孫宏.解讀麥卡勒斯小說的哥特藝術[J].沈陽大學學報，2009.

作者簡介：于雪麗，女，（1988年12月7日——），單位：大連外國語大學 研究生，研究方向：跨文化交際學